man have i f**kin scored lately, i mean really really killled it. This is one of the reasons i love breitling not just as a watch, but the whole company.
Some of you know, i have a fantastic relationship with my AD, similar to jnelson's with george, i refer him a lot of customers, he always delivers a fantastic deal, and i never ever make a nickel on the deal, i do it just to get deals for the great people here and to get him some business. he and i have become close friends over the last few years and its been really nice. He knows i collece the little breitling things so whenever he gets something from busa he usually gives it to me. i get all his basel invites, the badge from basel, pens, i have about 15 hats. i have a dealer display, counter mat, gloves, polishing , lighters, keychains, knifes, bla bla bla, all the usual shit. i have some things i have bought like the backpack and things, but 90% of it was free.
well last he wanted to get me something nice for xmas, so he got me the hermes tie, i really wanted it, its just a great tie!
then, he tells me a few months ago he is going to send me to RENO for the the air races! am was so excited, but i had no idea what to expect.
they flew me out with the owner of the store and the owner of another ad who is friends with us too, we get out to reno and are taken fromt he airport to the hotel where we check in in the vip suite in the hotel, we see the local rep who we know quite well and a few people from corp as well as the rest of the about 50 guests of breitling. there we get our goodie bags with our itinerary for the weekend. here is a shot of that stuff. it includes a reall really nice sip up front sweatshirt, a hat, earplugs, id holder with credentials and a really nice backpack.
we go about out business and get settled for a while before we change and meet for dinner, one thing they made a point of telling us 100 times before we went is its INFORMAL!! shorts and a polo during the day, jeans at night, no ties, no jackets, we are on vacation. So the next thing on the agenda was dinner in a really nice italian restaurant in the hotel, apparently its one of the top 5 italian restaurants in the us. now i was a little skeptical when i heard that, im a real foodie, fron ny and italian, i know my food, and really know italian food, bit i was willing to see what they had. They were right, this place was fantastic, cocktail hour first, with white glove apps, we had our own section to ourselves and the apps were great, all the top shelf booze you could drink. Then dinner, wow, great pasta, salad, steak and fantastic wine, we had to have gone through 7 bottles at our table alone, and they were a few hundred bucks a bottle. my dinner table was the 2 other local guys i know, the southeast rep, 2 other consumers from florida and the newly appointed president of breitling usa, he is a GREAT guy btw, turns out he lives in florida and nyc and his house if fla in 5 min from me, real nice guy. after dinner off to the vip lounge for a few more drinks before bed, long day with travel and we had to get up in the am.
sat was the races, they shuttled us to the base where the air races are held, about 20 min away, we all had full access vip tickets and pit passes, but we all spend most of the time in the Breitling chalet, what an impressive thread, this tent was probably 2500 sq feet, it had a front section open to the public that had some showcases in it full of all the watches, bentleys, the reno editions from the last few years and all the current models all for sale, and man did they sell them, a lot of em.
the front of the tent
the back part was right on the runway and the front stretch of the race, best seats in the house, it had food, great food, all day, wine, champagne, cocktails, whatever you wanted. they made us breakfast int he am, an unreal lunch, like veal, lobster, filet, ahi, you name it, all damn day long. i never ate so much or so well in my life!
saturday we had Wayne Gretzky hangin out with us all day, he shook every hand, took a pic with everyone who wanted one, really nice guy.
saturday night they loaded us all on a bus and took us to a park where they had a little western theme going, horses to ride, although i didnt, roping demos, people dressed like old famous cowboys, and yup, fantastic food and drink, great wine and booze, top notch first class all the way, and we were joined for dinner by the official ambassador, John Travolta.
sunday, more of the same at the chalet, John T spend most of the day with us, bullsh**ed, watched races, really nice guy, he went to highschool with my mom and aunt and remembered them, he was cool to talk to, shorter than i thought he would be though.
anyway its getting long, but we were off at 430 monday morning to travel back across the country to get home, monday was my birthday, but i didnt mind spending it on a plane after such a great weekend. today i came home to a box from fedex, i opened it up and it had a not in it that just said. "happy birthday!" and this....
who can beat that! what a great time, what a great company, good people i am proud to call my friends who allowed me to go. if any of you ever have a chance to get this reno trip, do not hesitate!!
sat with the guy who flew the orbiter baloon around the world for a while and talked to him, he was pretty cool
You're a lucky man!
